The festive season is upon us and where better to spend it than in beautiful Bohinj, where there will be numerous events and activities going on over the Christmas and New Year period as well as countless opportunities to enjoy some winter sports. So, in this blog I have gathered details of some of the main events and added a few suggestions of my own for how to spend Christmas and New Year in Bohinj.

It remains to be seen whether or not it will be a white Christmas this year. Last year we had early snow, whereas the two previous years there was no significant snowfall until after the New Year. However the early snowfall this year on 20th November has meant that, at the time of writing, preparations are underway for opening at many of Slovenia’s ski resorts.

The Vogel ski resort is reached by cable car from Ukanc and is up there among Slovenia’s most popular ski resorts. Over an area of 78 hectares it boasts natural snow, 22 kilometres of ski pistes, 8 ski lifts, a children’s ski park and lift, a snow park, a hotel, restaurants, a ski school and equipment rental, sledging tracks, and more.

The Soriška planina ski resort can be reached from Bohinjska Bistrica as well as from Škofja Loka via Železniki and from Most na Soči via Baška Grapa. Over an area of 25 hectares, facilities consist of 8 kilometres of ski pistes, a two-person chairlift, 3 drag lifts, a children’s drag lift, a snow park, a sledging track, cross-country ski trails and a restaurant.

The Soriška planina ski resort. Photo: Adele in Slovenia

I don’t ski, and have no desire to either(!), hence you won’t see any photos of me swishing stylishly (ahem!) down ski pistes, but that doesn’t stop me visiting them!

At the top of the Soriška planina ski resort (without skis!). Photo: Adele in Slovenia

Cross-country skiing on the Planina Zajavornik mountain highland, yes, it is me! Photo: Adele in Slovenia

You might even run into some of Slovenia’s military, who have a base on Pokljuka, honing their skiing skills!

Photo: Adele in Slovenia

Pokljuka is also an excellent place for some winter hiking. Among my favourite destinations for winter hikes are Mrežce…

Winter hiking on Mrežce on Pokljuka. Photo: Adele in Slovenia

…and Debela peč. Both of which can be reached from the Blejska koča mountain hut.

Winter hiking to Debela peč on Pokljuka. Photo: Adele in Slovenia

If you are unfamiliar with the terrain, however, do be sure to only hike on trodden paths and/or with a guide or local, and ensure you have good quality and sufficient winter equipment.

Nearly at the top! Photo: Adele in Slovenia

If live music and a good old boogie is your thing, then you can take your pick from numerous concerts.

Modrijani, Čuki and Ribič Pepe will be playing live on the 29th December at Camp Danica in Bohinjska Bistrica.

And the following day, at the same location, there will be a concert by Mambo Kings.

On New Year’s Eve you can take your pick of either New Year’s Eve outdoors in Stara Fužina, with entertainment from 9pm, or New Year’s Eve with the Avsenik Ensemble in Ribčev Laz, also from 9pm.

Elsewhere, in Bohinjska Bistrica during winter there is an ice rink next to the Mercator centre, on 1st December the Christmas lights will be officially switched-on in the village of Srednja vas, and kids won’t want to miss a visit to Santa’s Land.

So, enough to be getting on with then in addition, of course, to eating, drinking and being merry during the festive season.

I’ve had quite a few enquiries recently via my blog regarding winter hiking in Slovenia. So, I thought I would put together a new blog post with some ideas about where to hike here in winter, and also about another alternative winter sport – snowshoeing.

Before I go on, however, one thing I would like to emphasise – and cannot emphasise enough – is that you MUST be properly prepared and equipped for winter hiking. In the past couple of weeks there have been a number of deaths in our mountains, and, as is so often the case, among them are tales of people going to the mountains in trainers or other such inappropriate attire. Proper equipment is essential year-round, but particularly so in winter, as is knowing the terrain. Personally, during winter, particularly when hiking alone, I stick to routes that I know and that I know are well-trodden.

As I’m not a skier – never have been and never will be – snowshoeing provides great exercise and (can be!) great fun too, provided the conditions are right. Putting on a pair of snowshoes for the first time is a slightly strange experience. One feels rather awkward and clumsy walking around with, what look and feel like, tennis racquets strapped to your feet, though the modern versions, as seen below, are somewhat sleeker in their design.

Once you get used to walking with a wider and slightly ungainly gait, you soon get used to it, though a pair of hiking poles is a requisite. Walking with snowshoes enable you to access places on foot that would otherwise be inaccessible during winter. However, snowshoes aren’t suitable for scaling high peaks, but rather for traversing wider, flatter snow-covered terrain.

One of the best, and one of my favourite, places for winter activities is the Gorenjska region, where I live in the northwest of Slovenia, is the Pokljuka plateau. The entire forested Karst plateau, 20kms in length, is within Triglav National Park, and reaches an elevation of 1,400m. The highest peak is Debela peč (2014m), which, together with the peaks of Brda, Mrežce and Viševnik, are among the most popular with hikers year-round.

As can be seen below – me en-route to Debela peč – winter hiking, when at times you can be waist deep (or deeper!) in snow, can be exhausting at times, so isn’t for the faint-hearted!

But the rewards can also be fantastic, provided you are well-equipped, sensible, know the terrain, and are fit enough!

Pokljuka is approximately 15kms from Bled. Other than for a few months during summer, there is no regular, scheduled public transport to the plateau, so a car is essential. The plateau can also be reached from the road which turns off near Bohinjska Bistrica and leads up towards Gorjuše.

This year on 8-11th December Pokljuka hosted the annual BMW Biathlon World Cup. The plateau is a favourite training destination for many winter sports people from across Europe as well as for the Slovene military who have a barracks at Rudno Polje, which is also home to the Pokljuka SportsCentre and the Hotel Center – http://www.center-pokljuka.si/en.html

Pokljuka is a very popular destination with fans of cross-country skiing. I have tried it, on a few occasions, but me and skiing – of any kind – are never going to get along! Here’s me trying to ‘play it cool’ whilst a group of Slovenian military recruits go whizzing by!

I’ve been there at times when the weather is less than favourable too, though once home in the warm with a cuppa, all is forgiven and forgotten!

With its wide, open pastures and traditional wooden huts, the beautiful Planina Zajavornik highlandis among the most popular parts of Pokljuka. The highland is also equally stunning during summer. You can cross the highland on foot and then head further up to the Blejska koča mountain hut, where you can enjoy hearty, traditional Slovenian food such as Carniolan sausage or a stew such as ričet, or, if the road is clear of snow, you can drive a little further by taking the road to the right from Mrzli studenec then park on the opposite side of the highland before continuing on foot up to the mountain hut.

There are so many lovely parts of Pokljuka, it’s hard to choose a favourite and it’s equally beautiful, if not more so, during summer. Below you can see the Kranjska dolina highland, which you pass if you take the road as described above. I particularly like cycling in this area in summer.

It’s fairly easy to navigate your way around Pokljuka, but a map of the Julian Alps will certainly aid you in planning routes.

I hope this has provided some ideas and inspiration for winter hiking in Slovenia. I wish you happy, and above all, safe, hiking!

Allow me to start this week’s blog by giving myself a small pat on the back. Why? Well, because last Friday my blog achieved its 50,000th view – something I’m really rather proud of. Ok, granted, it’s not up there matching the figures of some of the world’s ‘supper bloggers’, some of whom probably achieve that many views in a day, but for somewhat lesser-known Slovenia, and little old humble me, I think/hope/believe it’s quite an achievement. The greatest number of readers are actually in Slovenia, as often Slovenes themselves tell me that they turn to my blog for ideas and inspiration; this is followed by readers from the UK, USA, Australia, Canada, Germany, Austria, the Netherlands…… and as far away as Bangladesh, Mongolia, Senegal, Ghana, Martinique and more; a total of 110 countries to date.

It’s now been 3 weeks since my fall and, hopefully, that means I’m at least halfway through the healing time. Unfortunately, the fresh, and heavy snowfall on Friday, and again on Sunday afternoon, meant that I couldn’t get out much at the weekend as I’m just too scared at the moment in case I fall on ice again, particularly as I currently only have one arm for balance.

As I was sitting watching the snowfall from my window on Friday, and the snow was growing higher by the minute, I was wondering what the actual record snowfall figures are for Slovenia and set about finding out. Here, instead of a blog about MY latest snowy adventures, are some rather fascinating Slovenia snowy facts and figures:

So, instead of being out there enjoying snowy hikes, I’m resigned to looking back wistfully at photos of previous ones and looking forward to future ones. With that in mind, and for those looking for somewhere to enjoy the snow, and/or those who are maybe thinking about a winter visit to Slovenia, I offer below a few ideas for some of my favourite winter hikes and other snowy activities in and around the Radovljica area:

The Pokljuka plateau is a haven for all things ‘snowy’ – there’s the biathlon centre, cross-country ski tracks, skiing, and hiking. A very popular destination is to the hut ‘Blejska koča’, which can be a destination in itself, or the more hardy can continue onwards towards Mrežce (as seen below), Brda or Debela peč, the highest peak of the plateau.

The Dom na Komni hut is one of the few huts that is open all-year round and the route up, beginning from the car park by the Savica waterfall at Lake Bohinj, is usually well-frequented and trodden. From the hut there are also a number of other options to continue onwards on the Komna plateau.

The Koča na Taležu hut (725m) is popular with locals from around the Radovljica area as it is easily accessed, offers fantastic views for relatively little effort, and offers good food and a warm welcome

The Valvasor dom hut is another popular winter destination for hikers and sledgers. The path begins at the Završnica reservoir.

There are also currently tracks prepared for cross-country skiing in Radovljica, behind the Spar supermarket, and in Kamna Gorica.

It should of course be remembered that during winter anyone visiting the mountains must be well-prepared, equipped, and experienced in such conditions. The current fresh snowfall means the risk of avalanches is high, currently level 4 out of 5 on the avalanche danger scale, and unless you are familiar with the terrain and the conditions its not recommended to take on anything too adventurous at this time of the year, hence I tend to stick to (relatively) easy and well-trodden routes.

You can also find out more about these destinations in previous posts by using this blog’s search facility (top right corner).

The week ahead looks like being snow all the way, so until next week……